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BEHOLD... THE COB
Behold! I made dirt, specifically cob!! Why? I say why not! Why do we even do the things we do anyways??
PS i did not intend for this to sound venty but this is stuff I think about frequently, worries about life and such
Recently I’ve been researching natural building practices/ off grid living and homesteading cause some day I want to own a home and seems first time home buyers are in their 40s and most of Gen Z is fucked either way🙃Is it unreasonable to look for alternatives? Heck I'm a simple person and i don't really need all that much to be happy, I want my own little space and to live within my means, and maaaybe hold hands with someone 😭
So last week I decided to dig up some dirt just to get a feel for what it’d be like… I uh, don’t do much manual labor ^ ^; but fuck it, I wanted to try to make cob! And my test bricks turned out better than expected. Of course there’s a couple problems with it. I don’t think I quite reached the subsoil, the straw I had access to was very short and the sand I used was closer to “beach” sand, you want something with more grit, that way when the cob sets it locks in better… Also when I started to mix everything I added waaaaay too much water so I had to let it dry up a little. Either way my blunder of a cob brick is surprisingly hard, I was expecting it to fall apart after drying up tbh.
Big reason I’m interested in cob/ Adobe buildings is cause they don't cost much to build compared to a normal home and you don't have to spend much for heating (well, depending on where you live). Theoretically I could buy some cheap land and develop it on my own… the problem is income, being so far away from everything, internet access, zoning laws and a lot of other ridiculous pencil pusher rules, like dawg, can you believe in some states it’s illegal to collect your own damn rain water just cause someone has “claimed water rights” to it??? BS imo.
I also like the idea of a family compound (lol wish my family wasn't so nutty), or just a group of friends living together on the land. Idk, perhaps this is a pipe dream but at the same time I feel this is probably the most realistic way towards home ownership. It takes a lot of work but I think it's a net positive if you can become super self-sufficient like that and “escape” the system.
Posted using PostyBirb
PS i did not intend for this to sound venty but this is stuff I think about frequently, worries about life and such
Recently I’ve been researching natural building practices/ off grid living and homesteading cause some day I want to own a home and seems first time home buyers are in their 40s and most of Gen Z is fucked either way🙃Is it unreasonable to look for alternatives? Heck I'm a simple person and i don't really need all that much to be happy, I want my own little space and to live within my means, and maaaybe hold hands with someone 😭
So last week I decided to dig up some dirt just to get a feel for what it’d be like… I uh, don’t do much manual labor ^ ^; but fuck it, I wanted to try to make cob! And my test bricks turned out better than expected. Of course there’s a couple problems with it. I don’t think I quite reached the subsoil, the straw I had access to was very short and the sand I used was closer to “beach” sand, you want something with more grit, that way when the cob sets it locks in better… Also when I started to mix everything I added waaaaay too much water so I had to let it dry up a little. Either way my blunder of a cob brick is surprisingly hard, I was expecting it to fall apart after drying up tbh.
Big reason I’m interested in cob/ Adobe buildings is cause they don't cost much to build compared to a normal home and you don't have to spend much for heating (well, depending on where you live). Theoretically I could buy some cheap land and develop it on my own… the problem is income, being so far away from everything, internet access, zoning laws and a lot of other ridiculous pencil pusher rules, like dawg, can you believe in some states it’s illegal to collect your own damn rain water just cause someone has “claimed water rights” to it??? BS imo.
I also like the idea of a family compound (lol wish my family wasn't so nutty), or just a group of friends living together on the land. Idk, perhaps this is a pipe dream but at the same time I feel this is probably the most realistic way towards home ownership. It takes a lot of work but I think it's a net positive if you can become super self-sufficient like that and “escape” the system.
Posted using PostyBirb
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Oh I was obsessed with cob houses for a long time and even wanted to get my own at some point! I almost took a course and all and found some communities, life's taken me elsewhere but I'd still be down to get one and I absolutely love how they work and how pretty they can look, you can make them look so artsy
Yesssssss! I LOVE the creativity when it comes to building them like adding glass bottles in the walls to let light in and all the natural shapes you can make with it! I feel it’s a great way to reconnect with nature overall. Mooood I’m very interested in taking a workshop at some point cause I wanna learn more about building in general :p I hope you can get a cob building someday!
Yeah, that's real. I don't think I'll ever really let go of my interest in living in a hut, but for the time being.. I like the idea of bouncing around park housing and not having commitments, hahah. Settling in with friends would be nice except I got no idea where I'd end up myself (or when, for that matter).
Good luck! Congrats on the bricks. I never made cob but my experience with manual labor is that over time you can kinda start checking out and doing the task automatically like with most other things. In the great plains they used to make sod houses which I think are very charming too.
Good luck! Congrats on the bricks. I never made cob but my experience with manual labor is that over time you can kinda start checking out and doing the task automatically like with most other things. In the great plains they used to make sod houses which I think are very charming too.
Fr put me in a shed with some basic stuff I’d be happy in there XD ooooo nice, I’ve heard of apartment hoppers, and it’s nice to not really have commitments to any one place but I feel that’s just too much movement orz. And true I feel a lot of people are off doing their own thing so it would be a tough sell to get friends interested in the idea.
It’s definitely a work out but it’s nice so long as you don’t step on rocks (heck I did run my dirt through some chicken wire in an attempt to filter it a little). But it felt nice to work with my hands and I can see how you could start to zone out, I’ll have too check out sod now!
It’s definitely a work out but it’s nice so long as you don’t step on rocks (heck I did run my dirt through some chicken wire in an attempt to filter it a little). But it felt nice to work with my hands and I can see how you could start to zone out, I’ll have too check out sod now!
Oh, that's neat: So its a type of mud brick right? Even if you don't make a house out of it, learning a skill's neat to do just for the sake of learning: And there's plenty of other structures you can build in a garden or yard out of mud bricks besides a full on house using them.
Pretty much! well when its still moist you can add layers of cob and then smooth it out so that it looks like one solid object. Lots of people make benches, mini saunas, tiny sheds, and they can sculpt it however they like! if i do make this stuff again, I'd like to try to do something artsy with it and maybe try to make a little doghouse (not like my dog would ever use it lol) but its good to start small and see what's possible
You'd be surprised with some of the houses that are made with this stuff, they all look so magical ;w;
You'd be surprised with some of the houses that are made with this stuff, they all look so magical ;w;
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